Berufliche Gratifikationskrisen und Gesundheit

Chronic work stress is of growing importance with regard to its prevalence and its association with ill health. A theoretical model of chronic work stress, the model of effort-reward imbalance, was successfully tested in more than a dozen studies. The model assumes that a mismatch between efforts and rewards triggers sustained autonomic activation and related risks for coronary heart diseases, but also for other diseases and symptoms. Two sources of work stress are distinguished: an extrinsic, situational source and an intrinsic source, the coping behavior overcommitment. Information derived from this model helps to identify populations at risk and to develop and apply specific theory-guided intervention activities on the individual, the interpersonal, and the structural level.